


Walk-in

by meanoldauthor



Series: Mean Old Lady [3]
Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Angst, Catharsis, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 04:00:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4124880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meanoldauthor/pseuds/meanoldauthor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unexpected follow-up, many years on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Walk-in

“The Followers have a clinic out here now?” Adal shaded her eyes against the sun, pointing to the symbol over the building’s door.

“Yeah, guess so,” Veronica said. “They didn’t before?”

“Last I heard, they were all in the old Mormon fort in Freeside,” she said. “C’mon. Let’s go be nosy.”

It was a shabby little building, but seemed to fit the Follower’s humble tendencies. A little bell on the door clonked as she pushed it open, and a petite woman in a lab coat half-turned to face them. “…see if Julie can send on another few Med-X, that assault case can’t be moved until he’s stabilized.” An aide nodded to her and stepped around the two of them, tipping his hat politely. The woman gave the two of them a slightly distracted smile. “Welcome to the New Vegas Medical Clinic.”

Veronica smiled and waved. Adal froze with her hand on the door. “Dr. Usanagi?”

“Yes?” she said, curious. “Do I know you, or does my reputation precede me?”

The question was playful, but Adal ducked her head, uncertain. She could feel Veronica itching to ask what was wrong. “I, uh.” She wanted to punch whoever pulled that rug out from under her. “Heard the name around. I…yeah.”

Usanagi tipped her head, but didn’t press. “Well, to continue…I'm a fully qualified physician and can fix anything wrong with you for a reasonable fee. Please, don’t be afraid to ask.”

“Yes. Yeah, thanks,” she said, starting to back out through the doorway. She glanced up at her companion, who had a gleam in her eye that promised no rest. “We’ll probably be by. ‘ventually.”

“Of course…” The doctor put a hand to her chin, thinking. “Could you wait just a moment, ma’am?”

“Yes, doctor?” She was trying to hide behind the door, and Veronica was trying to discreetly pry it open.

“I _do_ know you, don’t I? Starts with an A.” She tapped a finger on her lips. “Adele, isn’t it? Or Ada. I’m sorry, it’s been a while but I’m sure I recognize you.”

“Adal,” she said, surrendering control of the door.

“Adal!” Usanagi’s face brightened. “That’s right. I recall now, one of the tribal variants.” Her expression grew solicitous. “How have you been?”

“Keeping well, doc,” she said, inching back again. Veronica caught her elbow. “Thanks for asking.”

“Aside from, you know, getting shot twice in the head,” Veronica said. She grinned cheekily was Adal glared at her.

“Oh! That was you they talked about on the radio.” Her eyebrows flew up, and she leaned a little to see the scars on the side of her head. Adal, for the first time, felt the urge to cover them. “The damage must have been extensive, by the look of it. Whoever fixed you up—not one of ours or I would have heard, but they must have been a miracle worker.”

“Doc Mitchell, in Goodsprings,” she said. “Good man.”

“I should hope so,” she said, and smiled kindly. “Well, you seem to have places to be. If you ever need aid, or just want to catch up, I’m sure I can find time for an old patient.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Adal said, dragging Veronica bodily along. She kept her silent by dint of furious expression, but they were barely out of earshot before she couldn’t control herself.

Veronica laughed until she snorted, clapping a hand over her mouth. “What _was_ that? Your face! What on _earth_ could make _you_ turn into an awkward teenager?” She pressed her hands to her cheeks, agog. “’Old patient?’ Judging by your complexion right now, you and she did a little more than office visits.”

Adal folded her arms and waited for her to slow down. The scribe started to grow quiet as she took in the set of her shoulders and the twitch under her eye. “And…ah…O-kay. We agreed not to hit each other after the mole rat incident. We still are going by those rules?”

“Unfortunately,” Adal said, stretching the word out.

“Oh, hell. I stepped in something, didn’t I?” Veronica was immediately serious. “I’m so sorry. It was just weird to see you get awkward like that, I’m sorry I took it too far. You…wanna talk about it?”

“No,” she said shortly. “Come on. We were going somewhere.”

\--

Adal had her hand on the doorknob, feeling hot and cold at the same time. Veronica probably hadn’t heard her leave, splashing around in one of the Lucky 38’s bathtubs. She’d hoped to sneak back in after she went to sleep, keep her from having to make up some story about going to… to talk to someone, or maybe a supply run at Crimson…

She gnashed her teeth. “Stupid, stupid, stupid…” she muttered, pushing open the door to the clinic.

The guard leaning against the wall perked up, but kept his hand away from his gun. “Here for the doctor?”

“Yes, sir. She’s in?”

He jerked a thumb towards the hall. “Second door down.”

Adal gave him a nod, fidgeting with the collar on her combat armor. Two doors down, and she peered in, holding her breath at the sight of a small figure examining x-rays on a lighted panel. She made herself exhale and knocked on the door frame, soft, hoping the doctor wouldn’t hear.

She turned, that slight, kind smile already on her lips. “Ms. Adal, I hadn’t expected you back. What can I do for you?”

“I, uh…” She scratched at the back of her head. A glance back showed the guard still watching her, alert but not threatening, but still close enough to hear. Adal stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. “Y’got a minute, doc?”

“Of course.” Usanagi pulled over one of the chairs facing a blackboard, and gestured at another. “Please, sit down, relax. Everything you say here is completely private, ma’am. Even if you aren’t injured, I have considerable training in other areas.”

“Yeah, right,” she muttered, feet planted. “What’s your fee, doc?”

“Nothing, if that’s what’s needed. It was back then.” She smiled up at her, trying to catch her eye. “I’m here to help you.”

“Y’always were, you’n your people.” Adal sighed, slouching down into the chair and staring at the floor. “Guess you remember me now.”

“You made an impression,” Usanagi said dryly.

Adal tried to hide her cringe. “Shit. I’m…” She cleared her throat. “Doc. I’m sorry. S’a long time ago, and I been trying to change. Eats at me some nights, knowing you and the Followers were just tryn’a help me. Wouda died years ago without you people.” A quick look up showed Usanagi sitting calmly, hands folded on her lap, listening. “They never told me much, after, how bad I hurt you. I remember cold-cocking you, but after that…”

“Well…” She shifted on her chair, and Adal risked another look. Calm and composed still, but that patient smile was gone. “Before the orderlies arrived, you had broken my arm and several ribs, on top of considerable soft-tissue trauma. I survived—clearly—but spent a few very uncomfortable weeks.”

She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but the words withered in her throat. Usanagi went on. “You made me do quite a bit of thinking, Ms. Adal, about if I wanted to continue my studies.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.” She shifted again, crossing a leg over the other. “It was the Psycho, Ms. Adal, not you. An illness. I don’t hold you to blame.”

She opened her mouth, shut it. Usanagi was quiet, watching her wring her hands together and pick at a scab on her finger. “Thank you. I been… been facing a lot of things, lately. Helps to hear that. And—here—” She dug around in her pack, coming up with a bag of caps. “Doesn’t have to be free. I mooched off you people enough, ‘bout time I paid for it.” The doctor gave it a dumbfounded look, weighing it in her hand. “It’s—it’s going to people like I was, right? I can’t help them, not like you. But I can do this.”

“That’s… incredibly generous,” she said, looking inside. “How on earth…?”

“Between sellin’ shit and doing jobs for people, I got more caps’n I know what to do with.” Adal stood and shrugged. “Just payin’ back.”

“This will give us—well, this gives us access to far more resources than I hoped, at least with how overstretched we’ve been,” she said, following her to the door. “I’ll be certain it’s used well.”

“Yeah. And…” She folded her arms to stop fidgeting, feeling a little blood trickle down her finger. “Can I ask you somethin’?”

“You may.” The smile was back, small but warm.

“What made you go back to it?” Adal focused on the end of her nose instead of look her in the eye. “To keep helpin’ the world’s fuckups, when you get nothing back but pain. When you don’t know if it’ll all go right…”

“I had to.” Usanagi tipped her head, frowning slightly. “Knowing that there were people who were suffering, and needed help. Ones that were good people, but who had been hurt, put in bad circumstances, had been led down bad paths. Ones that, given another chance, would know what it means to help in turn.” The smile was back, fainter, softer. “Most people have good in them, I think, but it sometimes gets hidden or burned out in a world like ours. A little patience, understanding…and forgiveness…can go very far. You don’t always get to see the results. But just seeing it once is enough.”

She had to clear her throat again. “Yeah.” Adal looked away. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.” The doctor held out her hand, and she took it, careful not to grip too hard. “If you need any assistance, physical or otherwise, our door is always open.”

She just nodded before leaving, not looking up until she stepped out into the night chill. The lights of New Vegas washed out the stars, trying to shine past it. 

Even made them blurry, damn it. Adal wiped at her eyes as she headed back towards the city, lighter than she had left.


End file.
